Ashes and the Ocean
by porcelaindakota
Summary: [The sky burns red and pink at sunset the day after the war ends, finding two teenagers asleep on the roof of a palace...] 50 ZukoSuki sentences.


1: Comfort. On many nights, Suki finds it her duty to gently sponge the sweat from his brow, stroking his scar until his breathing evens out again.

2: Kiss. Their first is soft and tender, innocent; their second is hot and hungry, lips and teeth and tongue and hands, barely a breath between their tightly pressed bodies.

3: Soft. Her cheek is soft, silk under his hand; his scar is rough under hers, but she kisses it anyway.

4: Pain. He hears her anguished cries and winces as her hand digs into his own; _you're almost done, just push a little harder, you're almost done, _he whispers in her ear.

5: Potatoes. It is Zuko's first _real _visit to Kyoshi Island, his first dinner there, and Suki cannot help but laugh at his expression of mingled disgust as he forces the strange brown vegetables down ("You don't _have _to eat them," she says).

6: Rain. It is a strangely spiritual experience, the two of them laying out in the road, rain coming down softly around them and turning the swirling dust to mud.

7: Chocolate. "It tastes good, doesn't it," she says, voice low, leaning closer as Zuko licks sweet brown lips.

8: Happiness. Suki almost feels guilty that she can be so happy during a time of such pain and destruction.

9: Telephone (companion to 35). She is wakened in the night by a flash of flame and the urgent voice of the boy with the scar, handing her scrolls and maps; "Get these to the Avatar," he whispers, silently unlocking the cell door.

10: Ears. He rubs the disfigured side of his head almost angrily—"I'm deaf on that side," he says, his voice bitter.

11: Name. "Sokka," she moans, feeling Zuko's lips on her neck: "Oh, Sokka…"

12: Sensual. The music is soft and warm, comforting, and Zuko finds himself falling into it, the music and the dance and the warrior with her arms wrapped around his neck.

13: Death. Death, Zuko decides, is not simply someone's physical departure from the world; it's the void left behind, the numbing cold of waking up alone under silken sheets.

14: Sex. Despite all the near encounters, the moments of passion that almost went too far, their first time is that of young, nervous lovers on their wedding night, both of them sitting on the bed, fingering their clothing and wondering how to begin.

15: Touch. She feels his warm fingers and the rest of the world begins to melt away…

16: Weakness (companion to 11): Zuko knows she's pretending he's the water tribe boy, that it isn't really _him _she's seeing, but oh Spirits, it feels _so good _he just can't bring himself to leave…

17: Tears. "I think we both need to realize," he says, determinedly not looking at the trails of wet on her face, "That this isn't working."

18: Speed. "Just admit I'm faster than you," Suki says, smirking ("One more race," he replies, breathless).

19: Wind. In the Fire Nation, Zuko tells her with bright eyes, the wind itself carries the scent of ashes and the ocean.

20: Freedom (companion to 9): When Sokka asks who released her, she gives the only information she knows—"A boy with a scar," Suki says, and covers half of her face.

21: Life (companion to 4): It's a life for a life, a birth for a death, and Zuko is left with a gasping, wrinkled baby in exchange for his Fire Lady.

22: Jealousy. She sees the way that the Princesses and Duchesses and the other beautiful, wealthy noblewomen flock around _Fire Lord Zuko_, and it makes Suki's blood boil.

23: Hands. Zuko cups her face in his hands and kisses her, gentle and soft under the starlight.

24: Taste. His skin under her lips is salty as she frantically unbuttons his robes.

25: Devotion. They tried to make it work, they really did, but what it all boiled down to was a strong young woman who was simply too incurably lonely, and a young man too devoted to his country to notice.

26: Forever. "Why can't you forget your honor?" she wants to say—"why can't you just forget your throne and the Fire Nation and your father and stay with me?"—but she knows it would be asking too much.

27: Blood. "No," she moans desperately, frantically shaking his limp body, "no, no, no…" (but the pool grows larger still).

28: Sickness. Zuko stirs in the middle of the night, hacking and coughing up brown liquid, and they load him onto the bison and glide into the night, terror pounding in Suki's heart as he grows steadily worse.

29: Melody. She is surprised at Zuko's voice, deep and cracking and almost _mournful _as he sings their terrified daughter to sleep.

30: Star. "That's our star," he whispers, taking her hand and guiding her eyes to it in an uncharacteristically romantic gesture.

31: Home. "Finally," he whispers, falling off the bison and landing on the arid ground: "Finally home…"

32: Confusion. "I don't understand," he says slowly, and she smacks him playfully: "I'm pregnant, you idiot!"

33: Fear. It was irrational, yes, Zuko knew, but he still couldn't help but feel apprehensive whenever he received word that Sokka would be coming to visit.

34: Lightning/Thunder. "I used to be scared of storms," she whispers, watching him bend the lightning amidst the downpour, the crash of thunder echoing in her ears.

35: Bonds. On his first glance, there's _something familiar _about the slight girl in shackles…

36: Market. "What are fireflakes?" she asks, confused, but he snatches the box from her and rips it open before answering ("My favorite food," he manages between mouthfuls, but she had already guessed).

37: Technology. Suki knows the Fire Nation is the most advanced of all the nations, but still she is stunned and horrified when the gruesome metal monsters appear on the beaches, and later, when they begin to tear a swath through the island.

38: Gift. "I can give you all of this," he says, a grand gesture encompassing the entire world.

39: Smile. The first time his shell falls away and he smiles, truly _smiles _at her, she can feel her heart melting (_where has he been all along? _she wonders, finding herself smiling back).

40: Innocence. "Your father?" she asks, horrorstruck, her voice catching in her throat, and he looks away, wondering how long ago it was that _he _would have been shocked as well.

41: Completion. Zuko holds her and finally knows what it's like to feel _whole. _

42: Clouds. "I hate this," Zuko mutters, shaking the wet out of his hair (the droplets go flying and the girls complain loudly), as Appa gives a great roar and begins to descend.

43: Sky. The sky burns red and pink at sunset the day after the war ends, finding two teenagers sprawled on the roof of a palace, unaware in their sleep that a new era had begun.

44: Heaven. When she asks, Zuko shakes his head: "I'm not sure if I believe in it anymore."

45: Hell. "I'm going to hell for this," he mutters, but Suki smiles and guides his hands to her waistband.

46: Sun. Suki loves to watch him train at high noon, his powerful, muscular form rippling in the blinding sun and oppressive heat.

47: Moon. Suki was simply grateful for a lover whose eyes remained on her and not the heavens.

48: Waves. She is kneeled in the sand, reaching into the tide with a strangely mournful look: "Is everything so hot here?" she whispers, letting the water trickle through her fingers.

49: Hair. "Really," he says, toying with the brown locks, a smile hidden in his features, "I think mine is longer than this."

50: Supernova. "It's the comet," he whispers, awed, and she swears she can see his golden eyes _glowing _in the darkness.

* * *

Zuki is, I believe, my new OTP. I still love Soko and Jinko, but Zuki's just really fun for me to write. And almost no one else writes it, so it makes it fun when people go "WTF Zuki?!?" XD

Hope you guys liked!

-sugarland31


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